It’s fruitcake season… taffy season… candy cane season… sugar cookie season… all that sugar is all the more reason for us to pay extra attention to taking care of our teeth in December. What great timing that our family got chosen to participate in the Listerine / Reach Oral Care Challenge this month!
The kids were tickled the afternoon that we received a package of Listerine mouth rinses, including two bottles of regular rinse, a bottle of their “Zero” rinse with no alcohol (great for me, because I can’t stand the intensity of regular mouthwash), and two for the kids (one with Barbie and one with Phineas and Ferb). We also received a selection of Reach brand flosses and toothbrushes (including Barbie, Phineas and Ferb, and Batman). Our challenge is for everyone in the family to 1 Brush, 2 Floss, & 3 Rinse twice a day for three weeks.
The kids and I have generally been good about brushing twice a day, and I try to remember to make sure we get flossed at night most nights, but none of us have been using mouthwash regularly (even though a few years ago our dentist recommended it for then-7-year-old KarateKid – he worked through one bottle and then we forgot about it). I’m not even going to begin to describe MechDaddy’s dental routine… or lack thereof… let’s just say it’s a good thing he gets a nice, deep clean every six months at the dentist!
I’m hoping that we can piggyback this new challenge with the other daily reminders in December (advent calendars in the morning and our one-more-link countdown chain at night) to help us all remember to take a little more time for our teeth.
Along with the products to try, we received some information on the importance of oral care and some ways to make it engaging for kids.
A healthy smile reflects a happy child and no one enjoys a kid’s smile more than a parent. It is alarming, however, that despite parents’ best efforts, 50 percent of children will have a cavity or filling between the ages of five and nine. Candy and soda are common culprits. However, some perceived healthy snacks such as fruit juice and milk can also be the source of cavities. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentists recommends parents schedule an appointment with a dentist as soon as the first tooth appears.
In general, we got some good advice, although – I don’t know about your dentist, but mine would have laughed his head off if I tried to schedule an appointment for 18-week-old KarateKid when his first tooth popped through! In fact, my practice didn’t even want to take him at two (a commonly recommended age) but did wind up agreeing to take him then to just peek in his mouth and brush his teeth since he’d had his teeth so long by then. He didn’t start regular cleanings until three, and GoGoGirl followed at a similar age.
The kids are excited to rip open the products and try them out, so I’ll be back in three weeks to let you know how we did – how the kids liked the brushes, flosses, and rinses, and how well we were able to stick to our new routine.
(You probably figured this out, but I’m required to tell you that I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Listerine and received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.)
